Bacteria of the genus Burkholderia as a typical component of the microbial community of sphagnum peat bogs

Bacteria of the genus Burkholderia are a typical component of the microbial complex of sphagnum peat bogs and constitute a substantial portion of the aerobic chemoorganotrophic isolates which are routinely obtained from these environments on acidic nutrient media. The ecophysiological characteristics of the 27 strains of such organisms, which were isolated from the peat of acidic sphagnum bogs of the boreal and tundra zones of Russia, Canada, and Estonia, were investigated in the present paper. The overwhelming majority of the Burkholderia strains isolated from these bogs were phylogenetically close to the species B. glathei, B. phenazinium, B. fungorum, and B. caryophylli, the typical inhabitants of soil and plant rhizosphere. The bog isolates utilized a broad range of substrates as carbon and energy sources, including organic acids, sugars, polyalcohols, and certain aromatic compounds. All the strains studied were capable of growth on nitrogen-free media. They developed in the pH ranges of 3.5 to 7.4 and from 3 to 37 degrees C, with the optima at pH 5-7 and 11-23 degrees C, respectively. They were therefore moderately acidophilic, psychroactive, dinitrogen-fixing microorganisms well adapted to the conditions of acidic northern sphagnum bogs.     

Detection of representatives of the Planctomycetes in Sphagnum peat bogs by molecular and cultivation approaches

By means of fluorescence in situ hybridization with 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes (FISH), it has been shown that members of the phylum Planctomycetes represent a numerically significant bacterial group in boreal Sphagnum peat bogs. The population size of planctomycetes in oxic layers of the peat bog profile was in the range of 0.4–2.0 × 10⁷ cells per g of wet peat, comprising 4 to 13% of the total bacterial cell number. A novel effective approach that combined a traditional cultivation technique with FISH-mediated monitoring of the target organism during the isolation procedure has been developed for the isolation of planctomycetes. Using this approach, we succeeded in isolating several peat-inhabiting planctomycetes in a pure culture. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes from two of these isolates, strains A10 and MPL7, showed that they belonged to the planctomycete lineages defined by the genera Gemmata and Planctomyces, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strains A10 and MPL7 and the phylogenetically closest organisms, namely, Gemmata obscuriglobus and Planctomyces limnophilus, was only 90%. These results suggest that the indigenous planctomycetes inhabiting Sphagnum peat bogs are so far unknown organisms.     

High abundance of planctomycetes in anoxic layers of a Sphagnum peat bog

The depth distribution of planctomycete abundance has been examined in six different sites of the Sphagnum peat bog Bakchar, Tomsk oblast, Russia. In situ hybridization of peat with the fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide probes PLA46 and PLA886, reported to be group-specific for representatives of the phylum Planctomycetes, revealed two distinct population maxima of these bacteria in all of the profiles examined. The first population maximum was detected in the uppermost, oxic layer of the bog profile, while the second maximum was located at a depth of 30 cm below the water table level. The population sizes of planctomycetes in the uppermost layer and at a depth of 30 cm were of the same order of magnitude and comprised 0.5–1.5 × 10⁷ and 0.4?0.7 × 10⁷ cells per g^?1 of wet peat, respectively. Only 25–30% of the total number of planctomycete cells in the anoxic layer could be detected if the probe PLA886, whose target specificity is restricted to taxonomically characterized aerobic planctomycetes of the genera Gemmata, Planctomyces, Pirellula, and Isosphaera, was used alone. Other planctomycete cells in this layer were detected only with the probe PLA46, which possesses a much wider scope. This suggests the affiliation of these organisms with a yet undescribed phylogenetic subgroup within the Planctomycetes.     

Methanotrophic Bacteria of Acidic Sphagnum Peat Bogs

Acidic Sphagnum peat bogs cover a considerable part of the territory of Russia and are an important natural source of biogenic methane, which is formed in their anaerobic layers. A considerable portion of this methane is consumed in the aerobic part of the bog profile by acidophilic methanotrophic bacteria, which comprise the methane filter of Sphagnum peat bogs and decrease CH₄ emission to the atmosphere. For a long time, these bacteria escaped isolation, which became possible only after the elucidation of the optimal conditions of their functioning in situ: pH 4.5–5.5; temperature, from 15 to 20°C; and low salt concentration in the solution. Imitation of these conditions and rejection of earlier used media with a high content of biogenic elements allowed methanotrophic bacteria of two new genera and species—Methylocella palustris and Methylocapsa acidiphila—to be isolated from the peat of Sphagnum peat bogs of European northern Russia and western Siberia. These bacteria are well adapted to the conditions in cold, acidic, oligotrophic Sphagnum peat bogs. They grow in a pH range of 4.2–7.5 with an optimum at 5.0–5.5, prefer moderate temperatures (15–25°C) and media with a low content of mineral salts (200–500 mg/l), and are capable of active dinitrogen fixation. Design of fluorescently labeled 16S rRNA–targeted oligonucleotide probes for the detection of Methylocella palustris and Methylocapsa acidiphila and their application to the analysis of sphagnum peat samples showed that these bacteria represent dominant populations of methanotrophs with a density of 10⁵–10⁶ cells/g peat. In addition to Methylocella and Methylocapsa populations, one more abundant population of methanotrophs was revealed (10⁶ cells/g peat), which were phylogenetically close to the genus Methylocystis.     

Isolation and characterization of nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Azospirillum</Emphasis> from the soil of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphagnum</Emphasis> peat bog

he presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus Azospirillum in the soils of acidic raised Sphagnum bogs is revealed for the first time. Three Azospirillum strains, B2, B21, and B22, were isolated as a component of methane-oxidizing enrichment cultures, whereas attempts to isolate them directly from peat samples have failed. The results of comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA genes, DNA-DNA hybridization, and the analysis of the sequences of the functional genes encoding nitrogenase and ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase reveal that all the newly obtained strains can be classified as Azospirillum lipoferum. Yet, unlike A. lipoferum, the isolates do not require biotin and utilize sucrose, inositol, and glycerol for growth. The cell morphology of strain B2 differs from that of the type strain and strains B21 and B22. The results obtained indicate the variability of morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties in closely related Azospirillum strains and suggest the existence of metabolic relationships between methanotrophic bacteria and the representatives of the genus Azospirillum under peat bog conditions.     

Cellulolytic streptomycetes from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphagnum</Emphasis> peat bogs and factors controlling their activity

Two strains of Actinobacteria, ACTY and ACTR, were isolated from cellulolytic microbial communities obtained from an ombrotrophic Sphagnum peat bog. The strains were able to degrade cellulose, the main component of plant phytomass in this ecosystem. On the basis of their phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, the strains were identified as members of the genus Streptomyces. The isolates developed on media without available nitrogen sources and hydrolyzed cellulose within a temperature range of 5–25°C and in the pH interval from 4.5 to 6.0; they also exhibited acetylene reduction activity. Comparative analysis of the rates of cellulose degradation by the peat-inhabiting streptomyces at 5, 15, and 25°C and at pH values of 4.5 and 6.0, with and without a source of available nitrogen in the medium, indicated that high acidity and low temperatures, typical for boreal Sphagnum peat bogs, are the main factors limiting the growth and hydrolytic activity of these bacteria.     

Peatland restoration: A brief assessment with special reference to Sphagnum bogs

Recent literature on peatland restorationindicates as a general goal repairing orrebuilding ecosystems by restoringecosystem structure, trophic organization,biodiversity, and functions to thosecharacteristic of the type of peatland towhich the damaged ecosystem belonged, or atleast to an earlier successional stage.Attainment requires provision of anappropriate hydrological regime,manipulating surface topography, improvingmicroclimate, adding appropriate diaspores,manipulating base status where necessary,fertilizing in some cases, excludinginappropriate invaders, adaptively managingthrough at least one flood/drought cycle toensure sustainability, and monitoring on ascale of decades. Several matchingconditions favoring or opposing restorationare suggested.In the restoration of peatlands, successeshave generally been those of short-termrepair. Periods of restoration have beenmuch too short to ensure progression to, oreven well toward, a fully functionalpeatland reasonably compatible with thepristine state of similar peatlandselsewhere, although with altered surfacepatterns.Long-term monitoring ofpeatland-restoration projects is essentialfor a better understanding of how to carryout such restoration successfully.Paleoecology is suggested as anunderutilized tool in peatlandrestoration.     

Development of Sphagnum fallax diaspores on bare peat with implications for the restoration of cut-over bogs

1. The growth of Sphagnum fallax was studied in a glasshouse experiment. Capitulum diaspores of S. fallax were cultivated on five different types of bare peat core, representing a gradient of increasing disturbance. Increases in length and weight were measured. Three microclimates were simulated by protecting the bare peat with a shading mesh and a plastic cover in combination with two water levels.
2. Significant differences in the growth of S. fallax were observed in relation to microclimate changes. Protection techniques such as shading mesh and perforated plastic film allowed a better development of the diaspores compared to bare peat. A plastic cover caused the best growth and compensated for a low water table level.
3. Peat properties are critical when diaspores grow in direct contact with decomposed peat. The porosity, and especially its vertical pattern in the peat profile, proved to be an important factor. A particular combination of microclimate conditions at the surface of the bare peat, and physical properties of the upper peat layers, may favour the growth of S. fallax diaspores even where there is a low water
Table 4 . Restoration of Sphagnum species on cut-over bogs needs to consider both the microclimate conditions at the surface of the bare peat and the peat properties themselves. These factors are important for the diaspores, particularly in periods of climatic and hydrological stress. In such situations, commensalism with some vascular plants may be a useful trigger for Sphagnum growth.     

Photoinhibition as a control on photosynthesis and production of Sphagnum mosses

The effect of high light intensity on photosynthesis and growth of Sphagnum moss species from Alaskan arctic tundra was studied under field and laboratory conditions. Field experiments consisted of experimental shading of mosses at sites normally exposed to full ambient irradiance, and removal of the vascular plant canopy from above mosses in tundra water track habitats. Moss growth was then monitored in the experimental plots and in adjacent control areas for 50 days from late June to early August 1988. In shaded plots total moss growth was 2–3 times higher than that measured in control plots, while significant reductions in moss growth were found in canopy removal plots. The possibility that photoinhibition of photosynthesis might occur under high-light conditions and affect growth was studied under controlled laboratory conditions with mosses collected from the arctic study site, as well as from a temperate location in the Sierra Nevada, California. After 2 days of high-light treatment (800 mol photons m^–2 s^–1) in a controlled environmental chamber, moss photosynthetic capacity was significantly lowered in both arctic and temperate samples, and did not recover during the 14-day experimental period. The observed decrease in photosynthetic capacity was correlated (r ²=0.735, P<0.001) with a decrease in the ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll fluorescence (F _v/F _m) in arctic and temperate mosses. This relationship indicates photoinhibition of photosynthesis in both arctic and temperate mosses at even moderately high light intensities. It is suggested that susceptibility to photoinhibition and failure to photoacclimate to higher light intensities in Sphagnum spp. may be related to low tissue nitrogen levels in these exclusively ombrotrophic plants. Photoinhibition of photosynthesis leading to lowered annual carbon gain in Sphagnum mosses may be an important factor affecting CO₂ flux at the ecosystem level, given the abundance of these plants in Alaskan tussock tundra.     

Development of floating rafts after the rewetting of cut-over bogs: the importance of peat quality

The usual method of restoring cut-over bogs is to rewet the peat surface, but this often leads to the remaining peat layers being deeply inundated. For Sphagnum-dominated vegetation to develop at deeply inundated locations, it is important for floating rafts of buoyant residual peat to develop. In this study, the chemical and physical characteristics of buoyant and inundated peat collected from rewetted cut-over bog were compared. In general, buoyant peat was poorly humified; high methane (CH₄) production rates (2 µmol g ^–1 DW day ^–1) were important to ensure buoyancy. Although the peat water CH₄ concentrations increased with depth, the CH₄ production rates were higher in the uppermost peat layers. High CH₄ production rates were related positively with P concentrations and negatively with lignin concentrations. The pH to bulk density ratio (0.05) also appeared to be a good indicator of CH₄ production rates, providing an easy and cheap way to measure the variable for restoration practitioners. Our results indicated that analysing certain simple characteristics of the residual peat can greatly improve the success of the rewetting measures taken in cut-over bogs. If the analysis reveals that the residual peat is unsuitable for floating raft formation, deep inundation is inappropriate unless suitable peat from other locations can be introduced.     

Evaluation of the Phylogenetic Diversity of Prokaryotic Microorganisms in Sphagnum Peat Bogs by Means of Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH)

The microbial population of sphagnum peat bogs of northern Russia was analyzed with respect to the presence and cell numbers of representatives of particular phylogenetic groups of prokaryotes by means of in situ hybridization with fluorescently labeled group-specific rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes with broad detection spectra. The total number of cells that hybridized with universal Archaea- and Bacteria-specific probes varied, in peat samples of different bogs, from 45 to 83% of the number of cells revealed by DAPI staining. Down the bog profiles, the total number of prokaryotes and the fraction of archaea among them increased. Application of a set of oligonucleotide probes showed that the number of microorganisms belonging to such phylogenetic lineages of the domain Bacteria as the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, and Planctomycetes constituted, in total, 14.0–26.5% of the number of eubacteria detected in the samples. Among the bacteria identified in the peat samples, the most abundant were representatives of the classes Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria and the phyla Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria.     

Impact of NH4NO3 on microbial biomass C and N and extractable DOM in raised bog peat beneath Sphagnum capillifolium and S. recurvum

Regular bi-weekly additions of NH₄NO₃, equivalent to a rate of 3 g N m^–2 yr^–1, were applied to cores of Sphagnum capillifolium, inhabiting hummocks and S. recurvum a pool and hollow colonizer, in a raisedbog in north east Scotland. Microbial biomass C and N,both measured by chloroform extraction, showed similarseasonal patterns and, for most depths, the effects ofadded N on microbial biomass C and N changed withtime. The addition of inorganic N had greatest effectduring October when the water table had risen to thesurface and microbial C and N in the untreated coreshad decreased. Microbial C and N were maintained at75 g C m^–2 and 8.3 g N m^–2 above the values in the untreated cores and far exceeded the amounts of N that had been added up to that date (1 g N m^–2) as NH₄NO₃. This increased microbial biomass was interpreted as leaching of carbonaceous material from the NH₄NO₃ treated moss resulting in greater resistance of the microbialbiomass to changes induced by the rising water table.Treatment with N also caused significant reductions inextractable dissolved organic N (DON) at 10–15 cmdepth, beneath the surface of the moss, but at lowerdepths to 25 cm no changes were observed. Extracteddissolved organic carbon (DOC) was not affected by Ntreatment and showed less seasonal variation than DON,such that the C:N ratio of dissolved organic matter(DOM) in all depths increased from approximately 4 inJuly to around 30 in December.     

Utilization of homoserine lactone as a sole source of carbon and energy by soil Arthrobacter and Burkholderia species

Homoserine lactone (HSL) is a ubiquitous product of metabolism. It is generated by all known biota during the editing of certain mischarged aminoacyl-tRNA reactions, and is also released as a product of quorum signal degradation by bacterial species expressing acyl-HSL acylases. Little is known about its environmental fate over long or short periods of time. The mammalian enzyme paraoxonase, which has no known homologs in bacteria, has been reported to degrade HSL via a lactonase mechanism. Certain strains of Variovorax and Arthrobacter utilize HSL as a sole source of nitrogen, but not as a sole source of carbon or energy. In this study, the enrichment and isolation of four strains of soil bacteria capable of utilizing HSL as a carbon and energy source are described. Phylogenetic analysis of these isolates indicates that three are distinct members of the genus Arthrobacter, whereas the fourth clusters within the non-clinical Burkholderia. The optimal pH for growth of the isolates ranged from 6.0 to 6.5, at which their HSL-dependent doubling times ranged from 1.4 to 4 h. The biodegradation of HSL by these 4 isolates far outpaced its chemical decay. HSL degradation by soil bacteria has implications for the consortial mineralization of acyl-homoserine lactones by bacteria associated with quorum sensing populations.     

Intracellular Burkholderia strain has no negative effect on the symbiotic efficiency of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora margarita

This study investigates the effects of bacteria occurring in thecytoplasm of some arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on their symbioticefficiency. Gigaspora margarita, Gigasporarosea and Glomus versiforme, containing orwithout intracellular bacteria, were compared for their efficiency instimulating growth of Lactuca sativa L. Biomass productionand nutrient contents were evaluated in plants grown on two substrates. Theefficiency of G. margarita harbouring a homogenouspopulation of Burkholderia was greater than that of theother two AMF, mainly G. rosea, which does not containintracellular bacteria. When plants were grown in poor soil, inoculation withG. margarita resulted in the best growth rates as well asthe highest N, P and K values. The significantly higher N content is ofparticular importance, since the genome of Burkholderiapossesses nif genes.     

Mobility of Pb in Sphagnum-derived peat

One important assumption in applying²¹⁰Pb-dating is that atmospherically deposited Pb is immobilized in the peat or sediment column. This assumption has been challenged widely, but has never been evaluated experimentally. We evaluated Pb mobility and the chemical forms in which Pb is stabilized in peat profiles by adding either soluble or particulate Pb to intact peat cores that were maintained under different water level regimes (permanently high, permanently low, fluctuating between high and low) and were subjected to simulated precipitation over a five month period. By analyzing the behavior of stable Pb we made inferences about the expected behavior of²¹⁰Pb. Results indicate that added soluble Pb²⁺ was retained in the peat through physiochemical binding to organic matter, and as such Pb²⁺ was largely immobile in peat even under conditions of a fluctuating water table. Added particulate Pb was largely (most likely by physical entrapment), but not completely, immobilized in peat. In none of the water table treatments was there evidence to support mobility of Pb by alternating formation and oxidation of Sulfides, or by any other mechanism. The binding of Pb²⁺ with organic matter at the peat surface, and the absence of Pb mobility lend credence to²¹⁰Pb-dating ofSphagnum-dominated peat deposits, which are over 90% organic matter throughout, and have high cation exchange capacities.     

Ornibactin production and transport properties in strains of Burkholderia vietnamiensis and Burkholderia cepacia (formerly Pseudomonas cepacia)

Several strains of Burkholderia vietnamiensis, isolated from the rhizosphere of rice plants, and four strains formerly known as Pseudomonas cepacia including two collection strains and two clinical isolates were compared for siderophore production and iron uptake. The B. vietnamiensis (TVV strains) as well as the B. cepacia strains (ATCC 25416 and ATCC 17759) and the clinical isolates K132 and LMG 6999 were all found to produce ornibactins under iron starvation. The two ATCC strains of B. cepacia additionally produced the previously described siderophores, pyochelin and cepabactin. Analysis of the ratio of isolated ornibactins (C4, C6 and C8) by HPLC revealed nearly identical profiles. Supplementation of the production medium with ornithine (20 mm) resulted in a 2.5-fold increase in ornibactin synthesis. Ornibactin-mediated iron uptake was independent of the length of the acyl side chain and was observed with all strains of B. vietnamiensis and B. cepacia, but was absent with strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas stutzeri, known to produce pyoverdines or desferriferrioxamines as siderophores. These results suggest that ornibactin production is a common feature of all Burkholderia strains and that these strains develop an ornibactin-specific iron transport system which is distinct from the pyoverdine-specific transport in Pseudomonas strains.     

Analysis of the bacterial community developing in the course of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphagnum</Emphasis> moss decomposition

Slow degradation of organic matter in acidic Sphagnum peat bogs suggests a limited activity of organotrophic microorganisms. Monitoring of the Sphagnum debris decomposition in a laboratory simulation experiment showed that this process was accompanied by a shift in the water color to brownish due to accumulation of humic substances and by the development of a specific bacterial community with a density of 2.4 × 10⁷ cells ml^?1. About half of these organisms are metabolically active and detectable with rRNA-specific oligonucleotide probes. Molecular identification of the components of this microbial community showed the numerical dominance of bacteria affiliated with the phyla Alphaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Planctomycetes. The population sizes of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, which are believed to be the main agents of bacterially-mediated decomposition in eutrophic wetlands, were low. The numbers of planctomycetes increased at the final stage of Sphagnum decomposition. The representative isolates of the Alphaproteobacteria were able to utilize galacturonic acid, the only low-molecular-weight organic compound detected in the water samples; the representatives of the Planctomycetes were able to decompose some heteropolysaccharides, which points to the possible functional role of these groups of microorganisms in the community under study. Thus, the composition of the bacterial community responsible for Sphagnum decomposition in acidic and low-mineral oligotrophic conditions seems to be fundamentally different from that of the bacterial community which decomposes plant debris in eutrophic ecosystems at neutral pH.     

Limitations on Sphagnum growth and net primary production in the foothills of the Philip Smith Mountains,Alaska

Summary In the foothills of the Philip Smith Mountains, Brooks Range, Alaska, tussock tundra occurs on rolling hills and in valleys that were shaped by Pleistocene glaciations. During the 1986 and 1987 summer seasons, Sphagnum growth and production were determined in water tracks on tundra slopes that acted to channel water flow to the valley bottom stream and in intertrack tundra areas that were relatively homogeneous with respect to downslope drainage. Measurements were made under ambient environmental conditions and on mosses receiving supplemental irrigation in each area. Growth rate for Sphagnum spp. (cm shoot length increase/day) was low and relatively constant in intertrack tundra and highest but quite variable in water tracks. A strong negative correlation was found between Sphagnum spp. growth rate and solar irradiance in the shady environment below Salix canopies in the water tracks. Estimates of net annual dry weight (DW) production for Sphagnum spp. ranged from 0.10 g DW dm^-2 yr^-1 in intertrack tundra vegetation to 1.64 g DW dm^-2 yr^-1 in well-shaded water tracks. Experimental water additions had little effect on growth and production in intertrack tundra and well-developed water tracks, but significantly increased growth in a weakly-developed water track community. Low production over large areas of tundra slopes may occur due to presence of slow growing species resistant to dessication in intertrack tundra as opposed to rapidly growing less compact species within the limited extent of water tracks. We hypothesize that species capable of rapid growth occur also in weakly-developed water tracks, and that these are water-limited more often than plants occurring in well-developed water track situations. Where experienced, high light intensity may additionally limit growth due to photoinhibition.     

Isolation of Fenitrothion-degrading Strain Burkholderia sp. FDS-1 and Cloning of mpd Gene

A short rod shaped, gram-negative bacterium strain Burkholderia sp. FDS-1 was isolated from the sludge of the wastewater treating system of an organophosphorus pesticides manufacturer. The isolate was capable of using fenitrothion as the sole carbon source for its growth. FDS-1 first hydrolyzed fenitrothion to 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol, which was further metabolized to nitrite and methylhydroquinone. The addition of other carbon source and omitting phosphorus source had little effect on the hydrolysis of fenitrothion. The gene encoding the organophosphorus hydrolytic enzyme was cloned and sequenced. The sequence was similar to mpd, a gene previously shown to encode a parathion-methyl-hydrolyzing enzyme in Plesiomonas sp. M6. The inoculation of strain FDS-1 (10⁶ cells g⁻¹) to soil treated with 100 mg fenitrothion emulsion kg⁻¹ resulted in a higher degradation rate than in noninoculated soils regardless of the soil sterilized or nonsterilized. These results highlight the potential of this bacterium to be used in the cleanup of contaminated pesticide waste in the environment. Zhonghui Zhang, Qing Hong: Both authors contributed equally to this work     

Water content effects on photosynthetic response of Sphagnum mosses from the foothills of the Philip Smith Mountains,Alaska

Summary In tussock tundra areas of the foothills north of the Brooks Range, Alaska, up to two-thirds of annual precipitation may occur during intermittent summer thunderstorms. The seasonal pattern in capitulum water content of Sphagnum spp. depends on the frequency and duration of these precipitation events, on the microtopography of the habitat including depth of thaw, and on morphological characteristics of the individual species. The response of net photosynthesis to varying water content in Sphagnum squarrosum and S. angustifolium growing under willow canopies in a tussock tundra area near the Dalton Highway on the North Slope of Alaska was examined in the field. After a period in June required to develop photosynthetic capability, capitula water content was essentially optimal for photosynthesis in the range from 6 to 10 g H₂O/g DW. Above this range, the rate of CO₂ uptake was reduced, presumably due to limitations on CO₂ diffusion to the photosynthetically active sites. At water contents below the optimum, net photosynthesis fell rapidly until reaching compensation at approximately 1 g H₂O/g DW. Dependent on changes in weather conditions, average water content of Sphagnum samples collected in the field occasionally fell below 5 g H₂O/g DW. During a particularly dry period, water content of individual Sphagnum hummocks fell below 1 g H₂O/g DW, indicating that water stress does limit Sphagnum photosynthetic production in this habitat.